LCDI Updates from Family and Friends Weekend

In August, the LCDI welcomed our inaugural Director of Life and Career Navigation, Kathleen Potter, to the team. Kathleen has a wealth of higher education and business experience and has already begun to help shape all the content your students will receive when working with the LCDI.

This winter break the LCDI will be prototyping an Externship Program (1-5 day educational job-shadow). This will be an opportunity for students (especially first- and second-year students) to see what a “day in the life” of a role or employer of interest is like. All opportunities will be posted in Handshake.

We encourage you to have intentional conversations with your students about creating an experiential learning plan and understanding some of the critical deadlines to infuse study abroad, externship, internship, and research into their Wheaton Experience. We also want them to use funding for these opportunities, which can be applied for in Handshake.

Your students will receive LCDI coaching in many of their classes, in their club and organization involvement, and throughout their residential experience. However, the best way to get oriented to the LCDI is through one-on-one appointments. Our coaches are excited to meet your students and work with them where they are. To schedule an appointment with a Career Navigator, simply use Handshake!

On Friday, October 4, 2024, the LCDI hosted our first Employer-in-Residence, as Goldman Sachs took over the LCDI to meet with students about careers in Finance and careers at Goldman. This is simply the first in what we hope to be a long line of Employer-in-Residence opportunities, and we are especially interested in connecting with people from different industries so that we can represent the many diverse majors and hopeful career outcomes of our students. If you or a connection you have may be a good fit for this program, please contact Sean Schofield directly.

Lastly, the LCDI launched our comprehensive Life and Career Design Cycle, which focuses all of our programming and coaching on four segments:

  • SELF: Understanding yourself and Wheaton
    • Engaging student curiosity to cultivate deep self-knowledge and design an intentional Wheaton experience–building a strong foundation.
  • SYSTEM: Make informed decisions and set strategic goals
    • Access and leverage resources and opportunities to inform well-designed next steps
  • STORY: Cultivate a storytelling mindset to communicate with impact
    • Structure your narrative to build an authentic personal brand and translate your communication for different contexts to drive life and career success
  • SYNTHESIS: Transform your life and career design expertise into meaningful action
    • Synthesize your insights, experiences, and skills to effectively own and execute your life and career design strategies